U.S. Department of Education November 2002
2002-2003 No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Cover Sheet
Name of Principal Mrs. Carolyn Coffey
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)
Official School Name Christ Lutheran School
(As it should appear in the official records)
School Mailing Address 311 S. Citrus Ave. ______
(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)
West Covina California 91791-2110_____
City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)
Tel. ( 626 ) 967-7531 Fax ( 626 ) 967-8513
Website/URL www.clswc.org Email
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.
Date______
(Principal’s Signature)
Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.
Name of Superintendent Pastor Dennis Nelson
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
District Name N/A Tel. ( 626 ) 331-5309
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date______(Superintendent’s Signature)
Name of School Board
President/Chairperson MR.TODD MACY______
(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)
I have reviewed the information in this package, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date______
(School Board President’s/Chairperson’s Signature)
PART II DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
DISTRICT (Questions 12 not applicable to private schools)
1. Number of schools in the district: _N/A Elementary schools
_N/A Middle schools
_N/A Junior high schools
_N/A High schools
_N/A TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: _N/A______
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: _N/A______
SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
3. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:
[ X] Urban or large central city
[ ] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area
[ ] Suburban
[ ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ ] Rural
4. __27 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.
_N/A__ If fewer than three years, how long was the previous principal at this school?
5. Number of students enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade TotalK / 16 / 16 / 32 / 7 / 27 / 17 / 44
1 / 18 / 12 / 30 / 8 / 15 / 16 / 31
2 / 15 / 17 / 32 / 9 / N/A / N/A / N/A
3 / 20 / 11 / 31 / 10 / N/A / N/A / N/A
4 / 14 / 17 / 31 / 11 / N/A / N/A / N/A
5 / 15 / 10 / 25 / 12 / N/A / N/A / N/A
6 / 10 / 15 / 25 / Other / N/A / N/A / N/A
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 281
6. Racial/ethnic composition of 26 % White
the students in the school: 9 % Black or African American
36 % Hispanic or Latino
24 % Asian/Pacific Islander
0 % American Indian/Alaskan Native
5 % Other
100% Total
7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: __2___%
(This rate includes the total number of students who transferred to or from different schools between October 1 and the end of the school year, divided by the total number of students in the school as of October 1, multiplied by 100.)
(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 4(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 2
(3) / Subtotal of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)] / 6
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1 / 274
(5) / Subtotal in row (3) divided by total in row (4) / .0219
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100 / 2.19%
8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: ___0____%
___0____Total Number Limited English Proficient
Number of languages represented: ___12_____
Specify languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, Twi, French, Urdu, Vietnamese, Turkish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Hindustani
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: ___3____%
____9____Total Number Students Who Qualify
If this method is not a reasonably accurate estimate of the percentage of students from lowincome families or the school does not participate in the federallysupported lunch program, specify a more accurate estimate, tell why the school chose it, and explain how it arrived at this estimate.
10. Students receiving special education services: ____0____%
____0____Total Number of Students Served
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
__0_Autism __0_Orthopedic Impairment
__0_Deafness __0_Other Health Impaired
__0_Deaf-Blindness __0_Specific Learning Disability
__0_Hearing Impairment __0_Speech or Language Impairment
__0_Mental Retardation __0_Traumatic Brain Injury
__0_Multiple Disabilities __0_Visual Impairment Including Blindness
11. Indicate number of fulltime and parttime staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of Staff
Full-time Part-Time
Administrator(s) ___1______0___
Classroom teachers ___11______3___
Special resource teachers/specialists ___0______0___
Paraprofessionals ___0______10__
Support staff ___5______3___
Total number ___17______16__
12. Student-“classroom teacher” ratio: 1-16 (281 Students / 17.5 Teachers & Aides)
13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students. The student drop-off rate is the difference between the number of entering students and the number of exiting students from the same cohort. (From the same cohort, subtract the number of exiting students from the number of entering students; divide that number by the number of entering students; multiply by 100 to get the percentage drop-off rate.) Briefly explain in 100 words or fewer any major discrepancy between the dropout rate and the drop-off rate. Only middle and high schools need to supply dropout and drop-off rates.
2001-2002 / 2000-2001 / 1999-2000 / 1998-1999 / 1997-1998Daily student attendance / 97% / 97% / 96% / 97% / 96%
Daily teacher attendance / 97% / 97% / 97% / 96% / 95%
Teacher turnover rate / 0%
0 Teachers / 7%
1 Teacher / 7%
1 Teacher / 14%
2 Teachers / 14%
2 Teachers
Student dropout rate / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A
Student drop-off rate / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A / N/A
PART III SUMMARY
Provide a brief, coherent narrative snapshot of the school in one page (approximately 475 words). Include at least a summary of the school’s mission or vision in the statement and begin the first sentence with the school’s name, city, and state.
Christ Lutheran School is a K – 8 school located in West Covina, California. Our mission is to provide an environment where a high expectation for student achievement is facilitated by ensuring that a standards-based curriculum promotes the success of all learners. The school’s student population consists of 26% White, 36% Latino, 24% Asian, 9% Black, and 5% Middle Eastern. The school focuses on fulfilling its mission of providing Christian education by emphasizing student attainment of the adopted state standards, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and love and service in the name of Christ.
Christ Lutheran School exists as an educational mission of Christ Lutheran Church. A highly qualified teaching staff is dedicated to providing the highest quality Christian education and encourages each student to grow to his or her potential as contributing members in our technology based democratic society. All eleven full-time teachers possess a state teaching credential, and six will have completed their master’s degrees by June 2003. The school is accredited by the Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA).
Christ Lutheran School supports and encourages a strong partnership between parents and educators. Ninety-nine percent of parents attend parent-teacher conferences and ninety-six percent attend events such as Back-To-School Night, Open House, and the annual Science Fair. Parents and staff collaborate on various committees to address educational goals. These include curriculum and instructional committees, interview committees, facilities committees, multicultural focus groups, school board, and Parent-Teacher Fellowship. All classrooms have a parent liaison to assist in the coordination of various activities and home-school communications. Weekly and monthly newsletters serve as primary sources of communication between the school and home. Parents receive weekly packets, which include assessed student work and notification on their child’s progress. Consistent open communication between parent and teacher provides a team approach to meeting children’s needs. Through this strong partnership, Christ Lutheran School supports the role of the family in the educational process.
Spiritually, students are encouraged to live the gospel of Jesus Christ by participating in numerous service projects. All classes present a biblical lesson at weekly chapel services and annually at church services. Students participate in community outreach programs to support children and adults at McKinley Children’s Home, La Casa Preschool, Covina Villa Senior Citizens Center, Dream Fund Inner City Children’s Fund, Williams Fire Relief Fund, Breast Cancer Research, and 911 Relief Funds.
Christ Lutheran School offers a rigorous, standards-based curriculum. All classes use currently approved state textbooks. Teachers use the adopted state standards to develop instructional goals and objectives. Standardized test data is analyzed to determine areas of strength and improvement. Weekly staff meetings allow for teachers and administrators to articulate curricular goals and monitor progress. Educational research that highlights instructional programs conducive to student learning is discussed as well. The principal, Mrs. Carolyn Coffey, was named a National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the U.S. Dept of Education for the year 2000.
In an effort to address the academic, physical, spiritual, and social needs of each child, activities are provided to nurture the affective domain. Outdoor education provides hands-on-learning experiences for all students in grade 4 – 8. This includes a trip to Sacramento and the Gold Country for the 4th graders, Astro-Camp for the 5th grade, focusing on the study of astronomy, Catalina Marine Instruction for 6th graders, Yosemite National park for 7th graders, and a trip to Washington, D.C. and historical points of significance for 8th graders. Student council provides leadership opportunities for students in grades 4 through 8. More than 75% of our students in middle school participate in after school sports. Christ Lutheran School is consistently ranked #1 in all sporting activities including volleyball, basketball, track, and cross-country, for both boys and girls.
PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Private Schools
A private school may be recognized as a No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School in two ways. First, a school can be recognized if it has at least 40 percent of its students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have dramatically improved their performance in the past three years in reading (language arts or English) and mathematics, and are achieving at high levels. A student from a “disadvantaged background” is defined as one having low socioeconomic status who is eligible for free or reduced-priced meals at the school or is identified by some other method determined by the school. At least 40 percent of the school’s total enrollment must be from low-income families, students with limited English proficiency, migratory students, or students receiving services under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
“Dramatically improved” is defined as an increase of at least one-half standard deviation over at least three years and includes the disadvantaged students as shown by disaggregated data. “High levels” is defined as student achievement at or above the 55th percentile on assessments referenced against national norms at a particular grade, or at or above the 55th percentile on state tests.
Second, regardless of the school’s demographics, it may be recognized if its students achieve at the highest levels, that is, if the school is in the top 10 percent of the schools in the nation in reading (language arts or English) and mathematics in the last grade tested, as measured by an assessment referenced against national norms at a particular grade or in the top 10 percent in its state as measured by a state test.
1. Report the school’s assessment results in reading (language arts or English) and mathematics for at least the last three years for all grades tested using either state tests or assessments referenced against national norms at a particular grade. For formatting, use the sample tables (no charts or graphs) at the end of this application. Present data for all grades tested for all standardized state assessments and assessments referenced against national norms administered by the school. If at least 90 percent of the students take the SAT or ACT, high schools should include the data. If fewer than 90 percent of the students in the appropriate classes take the SAT or ACT, do not report the data. Limit the narrative to one page.
To measure students’ academic success, Christ Lutheran School administers the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9). All students in grades one through eight take the SAT-9 each spring. It is the policy of Christ Lutheran to test all students in order to receive a clear picture of student performance. This allows our school to analyze 100% of individual student scores as well as group scores for each grade level.
Christ Lutheran students clearly score in the above average range in all grades and in all areas tested on the SAT-9. As shown on the attached tables, testing data demonstrates that students build upon previous years’ successes and score at their highest levels in the eighth grade. In the 2001–02 school year, eighth grade students scored at the 83rd percentile in reading and the 87th percentile in mathematics. When compared to the national student percentile equivalent for the 90th school percentile, Christ Lutheran eighth graders exceed the Blue Ribbon qualifying score by eight and twelve percentile points, respectively. These scores would serve to validate that our students score within the top ten percent of schools nationwide in the areas of reading and mathematics, as well to ascertain that the curriculum at Christ Lutheran builds upon previous levels and that students demonstrate increased academic performance throughout their years at Christ Lutheran School.